Local News

Eliminating blight pockets, developing suitable retail space and creating a more business-friendly community were among the issues voiced at Monday’s roundtable event at the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce.
Business owners were given an opportunity to discuss and provide input on the issue of the County Council’s proposed strategic goals. They shared experiences, vented frustrations and suggested solutions during the 90-minute session with chamber officials and Acting County Administrator Randy Autio.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In his first formal assessment of the war in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus said Tuesday that much of the Taliban's battlefield momentum has been halted, putting the U.S. on course to begin pulling out troops in July and shifting security responsibility to the Afghans.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's central bank pumped billions more into the financial system Tuesday to quell fears that the country's banks could be overwhelmed by the impact of the massive earthquake and tsunami. Stocks slumped for a second day as a nuclear crisis escalated.

Two cash injections totaling 8 trillion yen ($98 billion) came a day after the Bank of Japan fed a record 15 trillion yen ($184 billion) into money markets and eased monetary policy to support the economy in the aftermath of Friday's 9.0 magnitude quake that has killed thousands.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is facing an impatient and frustrated Congress, balancing his troops' solid progress in combat with worries about Kabul government corruption, an expected Taliban resurgence this spring and the slow development of Afghan security forces.

The pullback cost precious time in the fight to prevent a nuclear meltdown, further escalating a crisis spawned by last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami that pulverized Japan's northeastern coast and likely killed more than 10,000 people.

SOMA, Japan (AP) — A third explosion in four days rocked the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in northeast Japan early Tuesday, the country's nuclear safety agency said.

The blast at Dai-ichi Unit 2 followed two hydrogen explosions at the plant — the latest on Monday — as authorities struggle to prevent the catastrophic release of radiation in the area devastated by a tsunami.